Looking to save money this holiday season? Hoping to add a little wiggle room to your budget A.S.A.P.? There are a few tried and true ways you may be able to free up a little extra cash for holiday travel, gifting, and end of year costs.
You can give yourself more cash for the holidays by:
Paring down subscriptions
Temporarily retooling your budget
Refinancing your car, truck, or motorcycle
Saving on perfunctory purchases with DIY or bulk gifts
Becoming a coupon whiz
Adding a side hustle
Read on for a more in-depth look at these strategies that can help you save, make, or find money now.
Use these tips for saving money and you might find yourself feeling a little jollier.
Cancel or downgrade some unnecessary subscriptions.
Subscriptions have multiplied like rabbits in the past decade or so, and many services seem to be constantly hiking up their prices. A few dollars here and there can seem benign, but add up quickly. Do a subscription review and see if there isn’t a service you could live without for a few months in exchange for the extra cash back in your pocket.
Move money from categories where you might currently be spending more into the category you want to focus on at the end of the year.
If you want a little more money for recreational things as 2025 comes to a close, you might need to find it by tightening your belt somewhere else. For example, could you cut your going out budget or trim your grocery bill down, knowing it’s only a temporary sacrifice to make room for the things that matter to you?
Refinancing a vehicle can save you money in the short and long term.
When you refinance your vehicle, you pay off your existing loan with a new loan with better terms for your financial situation. This can mean lowering your monthly payment by securing a lower interest rate, changing the term of your loan, or both. And, for many people, the refinancing process means a pause in payments of up to 3 months, giving you a quick cash infusion as well as the longer term savings.
Of course, refinancing a loan isn’t for everyone. Find out if refinancing your car is right for you.
Save money by choosing something you can buy in bulk or DIY projects to give away for smaller gifting.
The holidays come with a lot of surprising little expenses that can really add up – host gifts, office gift exchanges, stocking stuffers, and so on. Spend some time brainstorming and find something that feels right for you that you can make or buy in batches. For example, it’s easy to make homemade Irish cream liqueur or DIY cookie dough jars, or you could buy a case of sparkling wine or fun mugs from Costco or fuzzy sock sets and save money by buying in bulk. Finding small ways to save on the surprise expenses can open up some cash for the gifts that matter most.
Use grocery store coupon books and apps like Honey to get discounts on your holiday purchasing.
There are tons of ways to find coupons and grab discounts in this day and age, whether that’s old school coupon clipping or going hunting online for deals. Many companies offer a discount for signing up for texts or emails, and there are apps and internet browser plug-ins that compile discount codes on autopilot to keep you from having to pay full price. If money is an issue this holiday season, put some effort into saving on your must-haves and you can certainly save a few bucks here and there.
Consider finding an additional job or gig or finding other ways to bring new money in – like selling things you no longer need.
For many people, it’s easier to add room in a budget by adding more money than by shrinking expenses. If things are already tight and you’re mostly paying for the essentials, looking for a gig that could help you make a few extra dollars might be the fastest way to change your financial picture.
This could be as simple as doing some babysitting or dogsitting, picking up an extra client or job, selling some things you’re willing and able to part with, or doing a little consulting on the side of your regular job.
Use these money saving tips to put more money in your pocket for the end of the year. Unfortunately, there are no free lunches, as they say, but with these simple steps you can find a little extra cash in your budget for any holiday splurge you’re dreaming of.
And if refinancing is your pick, you can get a free, no commitment quote right now to see how much you could save with Auto Approve.